Channels & viewing

[lnjr]

I am not sure if this is where to ask this or not, but we were thinking of getting rid of our cable service and just going with the roku.  However, we want to know whether or not we will still be able to get our local news stations to see the news each morning and evening as well as other stations that we regularly watch.
Is there any way to see if the channels we watch on a regular basis are include with the roku or if they will cost us an additional fee / subscription for those channels?
Thank You

[Strega2]

There is nothing that makes Roku and cable TV mutually exclusive, and Rokus are inexpensive, so I would get one and start experimenting. (The Roku Express 4K+ is good and cheap.)

It's likely that if you want to have every channel from your cable on your Roku, the price might end up being similar. The biggest advantage of streaming is flexibility. You have much more freedom to choose channels and can watch lots of stuff for no cost at all. (Most of the free stuff has lots of commercials, of course.)

And just like some things from cable may not be on Roku, Roku probably has even more stuff that your cable lacks.

Here's a site where you can find prices of packages that include specific channels:

https://www.suppose.tv/

Again, if you start listing all your cable channels, the bill may become quite large. But maybe you don't need them all, or maybe you'll find other stuff to watch on Roku for less (even zero).

[atc98092]

You will find almost nothing on a Roku for free that you get from a cable TV subscription. There is a ton of free content on a Roku, but be aware that literally anything that's available for free is ad-supported, so that means advertisements. 

For content you get on your cable feed, it is possible to subscribe to something on the Roku to access most if not all of the same content. There are a number of TV providers available on Roku devices, for example YouTube TV, Fubo TV, Sling TV, and I believe there are others. Depending on the cost of your current cable TV plan, the streaming TV providers could cost you less per month. Also, some services are only available through a TV provider, and they don't offer any way to subscribe and stream directly from them.

However, remember this. You need an Internet Service Provider to use any streaming service. If you currently get your Internet access from your cable company, you still need to keep your Internet access if you cancel the TV portion. And that might increase the cost of your Internet compared to the cost when bundled with TV service. It might end up that paying for Internet and a streaming TV provider costs more than the bundle offered directly from the cable company. Just be sure you compare all the pricing with this understanding.

[denhow]

The previous replies give you some good information. The streaming world and the cable TV world are different. If you approach streaming with the mindset that you can exactly duplicate your previous cable experience you may be disappointed.

But, as for your local newscasts, there are more options here because OTA stations are not "cable stations". First, check to see if your stations are included in the NewsOn or Zeam apps. If they are, then you can watch your usual morning newscasts on your Roku for free. Then look to see if your stations have their own Roku apps. Many stations do (e.g., I think all stations owned by Gray Media have their own apps). Those apps may offer various other kinds of content as well.

[Strega2]

Oh, yeah, and consider if actual OTA is an option for OTA stations as well! My mom is a NCIS binge-watcher - satisfied by letting her use one my streaming accounts. But she couldn't believe that it didn't have the news she was used to watching on cable. I added a small antenna to the TV and she gets the same news now.

[renojim]

In general, cable channels are not available for free.  Some channels have their own apps (Roku likes to confuse the terms apps and channels, but I'm calling them apps like any sensible person would), but those apps require a cable subscription to get anything out of them.  For your local channels, you have the option of connecting an antenna to your TV if your location allows.  You can check a website like Antennaweb to see what kind of antenna you'd need to get your local stations.  The other option is a streaming service that provides your local stations, but don't expect to save much money with one of them.  This article is a few years old, but it's still relevant:

6 cable alternatives and live TV streaming services (2022)

[lnjr]

Thanks for all the information.   It sounds like it isn't as easy as I was hoping it would be.    It will be easy enough to find out if our local news stations have an roku app and if it is free, but hubby's sports channels may be a different thing.     

Thanks for the links to check out as well.   I greatly appreciate the information.